Conservation action plan and science agenda from stakeholder-led workshops

The Canadian River NFCA planning was part of the Southern Great Plains Native Fish Conservation Area planning process - An interdisciplinary team of 45 fish and wildlife conservation professionals representing conservation non-profits, universities, state and federal agencies gathered for a series of conservation planning workshops in the early spring of 2016. Priority actions now provide the groundwork for a conservation action plan that will guide partner investments over the next 5-10 years in cooperative, watershed-scale conservation of native fishes and other aquatic resources in the Upper Brazos, Red, and Canadian rivers .

Canadian River NFCA Action Plan Summary

Three priority projects were identified at the workshop to address the primary stressors within the upper Red River that include groundwater extraction, habitat fragmentation, dewatering, flow regime alteration, water pollution, and introduction of non-native species including invasive Saltcedar.

• Document migration of pelagic broadcast spawning fishes in the Canadian River - Document migration of pelagic broadcast spawning fishes (e.g., Arkansas River Shiner and Peppered Chub) in the Canadian River.

• Life history & flow-ecology relationships - Examine flow-ecology relationships of pelagic broadcast spawning fishes and explore opportunities to identify flow prescriptions in the South Canadian River to support natural flow patterns that meet the needs of native aquatic communities.

• Propagation Methods - Develop propagation and grow-out methods for broadcast spawning minnows, including hatchery and field propagation techniques.